April 11, 2005

17th case of mad cow disease discovered in Japan

As the United States is making strenuous efforts to persuade Japan to lift its ban on US beef imports, another case of mad cow disease was discovered in an animal in Japan. This is the 17th confirmed case in the country.

Japan halted imports of US beef in December 2003 after a cow infected with the disease was discovered in Washington State. Before that, Japan was the top market for US beef.